‘Apatang’s $10M bill an election year prank’

The Governor’s Office scoffed at the $10-million appropriation bill offered by independent lieutenant gubernatorial candidate David Apatang for fuel surcharge, describing it “an election year prank being played on voters.”

Press secretary Peter A. Callaghan cited that Apatang’s bill does not specify where to source the $10 million partial payment for fuel surcharge within the current fiscal year, which ends next month.

He said that if Apatang insists on the measure, it would mean two payless paydays or closure of schools in the next month and a half.

“Congressman Apatang could not really believe, seriously believe, that there’s an extra $10 million in fiscal year 2005 when there’s only a month and a half to go. A couple of actions might be to have two payless paydays. That would generate $10 million. Or close down the schools in the next one and a half month to save $6 million. Get an extra $4 million by closing down the hospital. Is that what congressman Apatang wants?” asked Callaghan.

Apatang authored House Bill 14-360, which aims to appropriate $10 million in FY 2005 to reimburse people for the fuel surcharge fee they paid to the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. The bill was unanimously passed during a session Thursday. His second bill, HB 14-361, which also gives $10 million in FY 2006, is pending.

Apatang said in an interview that his bill aims to help bring relief to consumers who have been paying $0.35 per kilowatt hour since spring this year. He said finding the necessary funds is the responsibility of the Executive Branch.

“It’s their job,” he said.

In his bill, Apatang blamed the Babauta administration for the imposition of the fuel surcharge fee. He said that if the government paid its outstanding debt of $18 million to CUC, the financially distressed utility agency could have avoided the fuel surcharge.

The administration said, though, that the debt amount is under litigation.

It said that the government has, in fact, been paying CUC more than what is appropriated by the Legislature. It said that since 2002, the government has paid over $32 million to CUC.

For FY 2005 alone, it paid $11.4 million, which is $6.4 million more than the annual appropriation for government utilities.

CUC consumes 3 million gallons of fuel a month at nearly $2 per gallon. CUC projects to get $14 million a year from the existing 3.5 cent fuel surcharge per kilowatt hour.